A Beer Enthusiast Reveals Amsterdam's Hidden Gems

I grew up in Amsterdam, but have moved around the world ever since graduating secondary school. I know what you’re thinking...

“Oh, Amsterdam, let me guess you're going to tell me about how to navigate the red light district.”

“No.”

“Well then it must be pot, you’re gonna tell me where to get the most potent space cake?”

“Nope, not Cannabis.”

“Okay, tell me”

"Beer, great delicious cheap beer."

An Old Warehouse with Chic Craft Beer Aesthetic

The place is called Butcher's Tears. It's an old warehouse, which is very, you know, kind of chic craft beer aesthetic that we're used to these days. I think it's worth it. Last time I was there, they had a beer on tap, which is a true to style Old England IPA. As in, they made it in the same way it was made in the seventeen hundreds. And then they barreled it for the length of time it would have taken to get to India, and then they tapped it, and you got to drink it.

The hippest Taproom Brewery EVER

This place turns into a low key club with DJs, and is where "hispter" flock. It may be off putting at first, but just go with it. There is this crazy mix of all types of people, but everyone is a beer lover that go there for the completely unique experience because it's so rare to find those historical beers being brewed and appreciated and served properly and really, truly loved.

Next Recommended Stop, Arendsnest

If you're circling back to the city and want to extend your day/evening a little bit, I would recommend Arendsnest. It is a classic Dutch beer bar since it's about 20 years old and it's got a classic sort of feel to it In terms of appearance, it's a long, narrow bar that somehow is fit into this rather small establishment. They've managed to squeeze 50 taps, actually 52, including two cask and pumps into this place. Wow. I'd say to go on off hours so you can be a little more comfortable. It can get full in there quickly. The thing that's different about this place, is that all the beer is Dutch brewed. So it is a great stop if if you want to get to know the Dutch brewing scene. You're going to see a really nice range of smoked sausage and aged cheeses as well, they will definitely keep you there for a while while you're getting to know at least a few of those 52 beers on tap.

Travel Tip - Patron Local Breweries

Even if you don’t come to the Amsterdam-Belgium region, no matter where in Europe you go – Prague, Germany, wherever, there is one key tip. If you’re going to visit breweries, visit a good local brewery.

But why not come to Amsterdam and use it as a central landing spot. And by the way, there's more than 600 breweries in the Netherlands now and it's not a huge country and that's a lot. And the vast majority of those are small, little independent setups that have a ton of character.

Easy to Get Around

That's what's great about Amsterdam, is that there are plenty of budget airlines that fly in their own region while air. Things like that. So you can get there fairly inexpensively and comfortably from the US or wherever. And then just making your base of operations. I mean, you start in Amsterdam, then go to Brussels, then, you know, maybe go down to Cologne or whatever. It's easier if you were gonna get on a Eurail pass or something like that. It would be a good place to start and scoot around in some kind of a circle and then wind up back there in the end. Fly back out. Yeah, absolutely.

Resources